Dental facts: what determines the health of the oral cavity, teeth

Teeth are the only part of the human body that does not have the ability to heal itself. Therefore, it is important to carry out proper oral care, and this must be done from early childhood and throughout life. There are many dental facts that will allow you to take a fresh look at the oral cavity, teeth and their role in human life. It is also useful to know somewhere practical, somewhere entertaining facts about dentistry - a science that studies the structure and work of teeth, their pathologies and methods of treatment.

Interesting and useful

The teeth are made of cavity dentine, covered with enamel on the outside. They perform the function of primary physical processing of food products. Another of their functions is speech, without teeth, a beautiful and clear conversation is simply impossible.

It is also necessary to note the aesthetic role of teeth, without them one of the most pleasant pleasures, a smile, will not look respectable!

Here are a selection of useful and surprising facts about the oral cavity.

Historical facts

The history of dentistry has many fascinating facts about our oral cavity:

1. Mao Zedong and many of his fellow citizens preferred not to brush your teethinstead, they chewed tea leaves and rinsed out their mouths.
2. In the time of Louis (the eleventh), the courtiers ate exclusively soups: it was believed that chewing food accelerates aging and contributes to the appearance of wrinkles.
3. Ancient Japanese when needed pull out a tooth they did it by hand - without any tools at hand.
4. The first evidence of professional dental treatment dates back to the 7th century BC. We are talking about the Etruscans, who were already practicing prosthetics from various materials, mainly from animal bones.
5. George Washington had virtually no teeth of his own, and he took special care of his horses - at his insistence, they underwent daily oral examinations and tooth brushing.
6. Egyptians were the first to use toothpaste, but it was not our usual pasta in a tube: it was made by mixing wine and grated pumice stone.
7. Until the end of the 13th century, the toothpaste was based on urine - this is due to ammonia, which has good cleaning properties. By the way, ammonia and in our time is one of the main components of the paste.
8. In ancient times, Roman noble citizens hired special people to take care of their mouths.
9. Legend has it that Buddha had 40 teeth, and Adam had 30 teeth, which gave rise to the number of days in a month.
10. The famous scientist Isaac Newton is the owner of the most expensive tooth in the history of mankind - 3.5 thousand dollars. The person who bought it at the auction later installed it in a gold ring.

You can learn about how teeth were treated in antiquity from our article.

Features of teeth and oral cavity

Fascinating facts:

1. During life, the human body produces enough saliva to fill two large pools - about 42 000 liters (for 72 years on the basis that a person releases from 1 to 2.5 liters per day, that is, an average of about 550 liters).
2. Human teeth are the only part of the human body that does not have the ability to recover on its own.
3. Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, but this is not a reason to use teeth instead of a hammer or scissors.
4. Almost all (99%) calcium in the human body is the teeth and bones.
5. Dentists in the United States use nearly 13 tons of gold annually to create gold prostheses.
6. Scientists' studies have found that strong teeth speak of a good memory of their owner.
7. Human teeth are well preserved even when exposed to moisture, alkali and high temperatures (up to 1000 degrees).
8. Prosthetics can be dangerous because there is a possibility that the prosthesis will contain an inclusions uranium (without uranium, the dentures would have a greenish tint, which is especially noticeable under artificial lighting).
9. After suffering a cold or any other pathology, the toothbrush must be replaced. If this is not done, re-infection is possible.
10. On average, toothbrushing takes up to one minute per day, the recommended time is three times longer (3 minutes).

A little about animals

There are also interesting facts about the oral cavity of animals:

1. The snail has the largest number of teeth, despite its small size, it has about 25,000.
2. In a giraffe, only the bottom of the jaw is filled with teeth (but there are rear ones for grinding plants at the top and bottom).
3. The weight of one elephant's tooth can reach 3 kilograms.
4. In elephants, new teeth can grow up to 6 times in a lifetime.

Amazing

A few interesting facts that can really surprise you:

1. Excessive (more than 3 per day) passion for soda, increases the chance of developing mouth pathologies by 60%.
2. The left-hander chews most of the food on the left side, and, conversely, the right-hander prefers to chew on the right side.
3. Most people will prefer a visit to the dentist instead of being around the person on the phone in a raised voice.
4. The lines on the surface of the tongue are as individual as fingerprints.
5. In childhood, a person smiles on average 400 times a day, in an adult - about 15 times.
6. Dentist William Semple was the first to add sugar to chewing gum in the second half of the 19th century.
7. Humanity also owes its education to the dentist for the invention of the electric chair.
8. In the United States (Rhode Island), the sale of toothbrushes on Saturdays is prohibited by law.
9. In the state of Vermont (USA), women are prohibited from having dental prosthetics unless they have written consent from their husbands.

About folk remedies

There are even facts about ancient and modern folk remedies:

1. Scientists have proven that the consumption of cocoa powder, and, accordingly, chocolate, has a positive effect on dental health and prevents tooth decay.
2. To strengthen loose teeth medieval dentists prescribed a procedure that consisted of tying a frog to the patient's jaw.
3. According to German experts, eating two grapefruits per day significantly reduces the risk of developing pathologies in the mouth.
4. Once a courtesan recommended to Dumas-son a good method of teeth whitening: "We must lie more, because this makes our teeth wonderfully white."

What determines the health of human teeth

The health of teeth and gums depends primarily on how often and how correctly hygienic measures are performed. As you know, no one can harm a person more than he himself, therefore, we present a collection of facts about oral health from the heading "Even teeth cannot do it":

1. Doing sports without using a mouth guard. If you are fond of contact sports (boxing, hockey), experts strongly recommend using a mouth guard, the same is evidenced by statistics. mouth guard is a solid piece of plastic, its use allows you to reliably protect your teeth. Think about this in advance, as an athlete does not look respectable without a beautiful smile.
2. Eating ice cubes. Ice is frozen water, of course, there is no sugar in it, but this does not mean its benefits or that its use does not pose a threat to the mouth. Excessive use of ice in drinks and its further chewing can lead to cracks in the tooth enamel or even complete tooth decay.
3. Piercing tongue and lips for earrings. From a fashion point of view, it may be appropriate, but for the mouth, such a desperate move represents a double threat: the tooth can burst due to the hairpin, in addition, the metal constantly affects the gums, can lead to their injury or inflammation.
4. Grinding. It doesn't matter what is the root cause - the manifestation of emotions or bruxism, but over time, this process leads to the breaking of the teeth. Controlling your emotions and using a special device at night will help you avoid tooth loss.
5. Using teeth as a bottle opener. Sometimes bottle caps or product unpacking is done by mouth - this can be practical, but experts strongly advise against doing this. The use of teeth for other purposes leads to their breaking, chipping or, even worse, loss.
6. Chewing stationery (pens, pencils). This is a bad habit that leads to the destruction of the enamel.
7. Using bottles in bed. We are talking about the bad habit of putting the baby to bed with the drinking bottle. This can be addictive, and the child will no longer be able to sleep without a bottle in his mouth, the consequences in this case are difficult to predict, but definitely negative. Do not keep anything unnecessary in the crib and you will avoid problems.
8. Use of cigarettes. Smoking tobacco products leads to a change in the color of the enamel, the development of gum pathologies. In addition, you need to remember about the possibility of developing such dangerous diseases as oral cancer and not only.

Debunking popular myths

There are many myths about oral care and dental health that have nothing to do with reality. Some of them are harmless, and some can be harmful to health. The most common ones are:

1. Chewing gum with natural analogs of sugar is a replacement for traditional tooth brushing. This statement is a myth, since incomparable indicators are compared - brush your teeth every time after eating food can not be physically, while you can chew gum, which will partially cleanse the oral cavity and refresh breath. At best, chewing gum can be a worthy addition to traditional brushing.
2. White enamel indicates dental health. This is a myth, belief in which can harm health and lead to the development of pathologies. If the appearance of the tooth is healthy and the color is white, there may be sinuses, problem roots or other abnormalities in it, indicating the need for specialist intervention.
3. If possible, wisdom teeth should be removed, otherwise they will cause problems. The human body is arranged by God in such a way that there is nothing superfluous in it, even if we are talking about the most late growing wisdom tooth. A third of the world's population has no problems with them at all. Remove those molars it is necessary only according to the doctor's prescription with real indications.
4. Dental pathologies are determined by genetic predisposition. Poor heredity is of secondary importance in terms of oral health. Compliance with basic hygiene rules has a decisive influence on the occurrence and development of oral pathologies.
5. Exposure to enamel during whitening damages teeth. This statement makes sense when it comes to the use of "folk" methods and incomprehensible means. Whitening in dentistry with the use of modern technologies in most cases does not have a harmful effect on the enamel.
6. Milk teeth in children do not need treatment. This is a dangerous delusion. Into function milk teeth includes the formation of molars and occlusion, it is natural that this process at each stage should be under the close supervision of a specialist.
7. A visit to the dentist is harmful for pregnant women. This statement is fundamentally wrong. Pregnant women must be examined by a dentist! However, there are a number of limitations regarding medical procedures (fluoroscopy) and medications (a).
8. Sweets harm your teeth. It is a myth that protein, which serves as food for pathogenic bacteria, is harmful to oral health. So it is not sweet foods that are harmful, but the period of their stay in the mouth.
9. When dental diseases occur, their treatment is preferable, rather than elimination. In this matter, it all depends on the condition of the teeth. There are cases when even an almost completely damaged tooth can be saved, and, conversely, sometimes an outwardly healthy tooth needs to be removed.
10. Toothache can be eliminated by applying pain relievers in the form of tablets to it. Medicines are developed taking into account their intake, if they are pills, then their effect is most effectively manifested when used internally. In addition, applying the tablet directly to a diseased tooth can cause gum disease as a result of side effects of its components. But there is painkillers drugs that are allowed to be applied to the teeth.
11. Wisdom teeth are related to the mental capacity of a person. Of course, this is not so, their name comes from the fact that they appear in adulthood.

Take care of your teeth and be healthy!